• Murkomen cited an incident in 2018 where Passaris joined the Deputy President William Ruto and other leaders in gracing Mariga's football development event.
• Passaris accused the Elegeyo Marakwet Senator of using Jubilee's Mariga to settle scores with other leaders.
Image: COURTESY
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has hit out at Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen over McDonald Mariga's candidature for the Kibra by-election.
In a tweet on Sunday, Passaris accused the Elegeyo Marakwet Senator of using Jubilee's Mariga to settle scores with other leaders.
"Don't misuse Mariga to settle political scores," read part of Passaris tweet.
Her response came a day after, Murkomen accused her of betraying Mariga after failing to support his candidature.
Murkomen cited an incident in 2018 where Passaris joined the Deputy President William Ruto and other leaders in gracing Mariga's football development event.
Other leaders Murkomen mentioned were Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and embattled Nairobi County Speaker Beatrice Elachi.
"A year ago Sakaja Johnson, Babu Owino, Esther Passaris, Beatrice Elachi and I joined William Ruto in cheering McDonald Mariga as he gave back to the youth in all of Nairobi including Kibra. We are his first-hand witnesses. We pray for his success," Murkomen tweeted.
This was a year ago and I will still cheer Mariga on when he comes out to support and nurture football talent in our country. But when it comes to Kibra Politics #IStandWithImran #ImranOkothForKibra#KibraForImranOkoth
— Hon. Esther M Passaris (@EstherPassaris) September 28, 2019
Don't misuse Mariga to settle political scores. #2022Bado https://t.co/Qm3KsWctmD
Passaris responded by saying the event was a year ago but her support for Mariga is only related to football development matters.
The vocal ODM legislator maintained that even though she attended the event in question, she still supports Imran Okoth's candidature.
"This was a year ago and I will still cheer Mariga on when he comes out to support and nurture football talent in our country. But when it comes to Kibra Politics," read part of the tweet.
Several leaders have come out to openly oppose Mariga's candidature.
GPassaris declared her support to Mariga when it comes to nurturing football not politics.ender CAS Rachel Shebesh last Friday alleged that President Uhuru Kenyatta was coerced to endorse Mariga.
Shebesh, who was speaking to women residents in Kibra constituency, said that Ruto and his allies gained access to State House through the back door.
The former woman rep accused the DP of pressurising Uhuru to endorse Mariga on September 18.
Image: COURTESY
“On that day when the President endorsed Mariga for Kibra race, I was in State House. I know how they mounted pressure on the President, and how they gained entry to State House. They used the backdoor," she claimed.
The former Nairobi Woman Representative noted that since the president was a vocal man, he would have spoken about the issue but he did not.
“I know how they exerted pressure to have pictures they took with the Head of State to be shared online. You and I both know our president is very vocal; he has a voice. On the Mariga endorsement issue, did you hear or watch him speak anywhere? We only saw pictures, he did not speak," she stated.
In response, the DP through his Twitter account, urged all Jubilee supporters to ignore calls by those he deemed not fit to speak for the party leadership
All JUBILEE party supporters should ignore & treat with utter contempt rebels and those rejected by the electorate who now deceptively purport to speak for the party leadership. Let's give Mariga our flag bearer moral,material and prayerful support. Victory is surely beckoning.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 28, 2019
"All Jubilee party supporters should ignore and treat with utter contempt rebels and those rejected by the electorate who now deceptively purport to speak for the party leadership," he tweeted.
Nairobi County Speaker Beatrice Elachi on Tuesday last week Mariga's candidature in the November 7 Kibra by-election.
She said Mariga just woke up one morning to claim that he can govern the people of Kibra.
Wajir Woman MP Fatuma Gedi on Thursday last week challenged Jubilee's decision to crownMariga as their flag bearer for the Kibra by-election.
Mariga was vetted by National Elections Board at the party's headquarters on September 2.
"The Jubilee nominations were not democratic at all. We wanted a free and fair process. They should have allowed people to vote. ODM was more democratic," Gedi said in an interview with JKL.
Jubilee Nominated MP Maina Kamanda last Friday led ODM's Kibra candidate Imran Okoth's campaigns in Kibra.
He hosted a delegation of members from the Agikuyu community in Kibra during a meeting with Imran.
"Jubilee Nominated MP Maina Kamanda led Imran’s campaign this afternoon by hosting a delegation of members from the Gikuyu community in Kibra for meeting our candidate," ODM tweeted.